Perfection Isn't Ours

Chapter Seven

Mason quietly drove into the garage of their home. He was more bothered about the raw hurt he saw in the once cheery eyes of Ciara. He was wondering how he drove home without an accident with the way he was lost in thought. He got out of the car and started his way to the front door. Then blocked out the screams and threats of Fiona. Right now wasn't the time to give into her emotional attack.

He unlocked the door and walked straight to their room. He began to run his bath while the thoughts of Ciara invaded his head. Mason immediately locked the bathroom door and began to discard himself of his clothing, before entering the bathtub. He relaxed and put on the audio player on the bathtub platform. Then shut his blue eyes.

"Siri, Alan Walker's Faded," he stated and the device responded. The familiar intro of the song began to play, he shut his eyes again after opening them and let the water warm him up.

•••

Ciara cried hard as soon as she locked herself in the bathroom the moment Jerome said he was heading out. She held her hair so tight she knew it'd cause a lot of hair breakage then looked up at the ceiling with teary eyes.

"What am I doing? Why can't I just say no to Jerome? Why can't I see myself leaving him?" She whispered, and inhaled convulsively.

Her phone rang which she decided not to answer. The phone rang again, and she pulled it out from her sweatpants, it was Nora. She dropped the device and forced herself to calm down. Ciara stood up and began to discard her clothing. She walked into the shower and turned the knob. She hissed when the cold water hit her hot skin. Instantly she felt her pain wash away with the water, into the drain.

"I need to calm down, I don't have to dwell on the past too much. It'll only hurt you more, Ciara. Don't let the past hurt you. Don't let it hurt you. You're strong," she stated, running her fingers through her hair.

After an hour in the shower, Ciara walked out, shivering. She took a towel and wrapped it around her body. She unlocked the door and stepped in. She screamed.

Mason was sitting on the couch in the room, going through his phone. He looked up and paled, he sat up instantly and spun around.

"What're you doing here?! Do you know what could happen if Jerome walked in and saw you here with me in such state?!" She barked.

"I-Well- Nora. Yes, Nora bumped into me in the neighborhood. Turns out that she-Uh- leaves opposite my house. She was babbling about how you haven't picked her hundred and fourteen missed calls. She sent me here, saying she'll catch up and-"

"Mason?" Nora called, running into the room. "what's-Oh, am I interrupting something steamy?" She waggled her brows and Ciara glared at her friend.

"Really?!" Ciara hissed. "And you, Mason. How dare you walk into my room, huh?!"

"I was worried. You've been in there for an hour plus and I was sickly worried."

"Aww," Nora cooed.

Ciara blushed, her heart melting at his soft and honest response. She bit her lip and looked around the room, she found Jerome's large shirt and put it on. Then cleared her throat.

"Turn around you fool," she said.

Mason exhaled and slowly turned around. First he saw the devil called Nora on the bed, smiling. Then his eyes flickered to Ciara who looked absolutely hot in the boyfriend-Shirt she wore, with her wet dripping hair plastered cutely on her forehead and neck. She'd look more hot in mine, he thought then choked on his spit.

"What?" Ciara asked, arms crossed.

"Nothing. Um, I came to check up on you. The way you left the restaurant was scary. Are you okay? I'm really sorry for how Fiona spoke to you. She had no right to," he said, moving closer to her.

Ciara looked away from his heated gaze. She stared at the door beside him and nodded.

"It's okay. But," she looked up at him. "You need to leave, Jerome could be back any time soon."

Mason nodded. "I know and Ciara?" He said softly, not knowing when he took her hand in his. "I hope what Fiona said didn't stop our friendship?"

She gasped. "Are-Are we friends?"

He smirked and stared deeply into her green orbs.

"Yes, from the day I first met you," he replied. His heart beating faster for a reason he had no idea of.

"Uh. You two know I'm here, right?" Nora spoke up and they blinked before moving apart. They cleared their throat.

"Uhm. So-"

"CiCi?!" That was Jerome's voice as his footsteps echoed that he was using the steps. The trio had their eyes widened.

"Oh, no!" Ciara whispered. "I told you to leave!" She looked around the room, then her eyes darted around the room, it stopped at the closet. Cliché but, she thought.

"Hide there," she said, pushing Mason into the closet. Once he was in, she shut the doors and rushed to sit beside Nora.

Jerome walked in with a bunch of rose flowers and a teddy bear half his height. Ciara couldn't help but beam at him.

"Uh. What's she doing here?" He asked, staring in displeasure at Nora who was the same.

"Just pretend she isn't here. What are those?" She asked walking to him and glancing at the closet.

Jerome smiled. "Peace Offering," he dropped the bear and placed the flower on the table beside him.

He pulled her close to him and smiled wider. "I know I've been mean and so bad. I know I promised never to hurt you in anyway. I'm still learning not to, baby. I love you so much and I don't enjoy saying bad things to you. You are everything to me, no matter what happens. It's just so unfortunate that I'm not perfect."

Ciara smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, her toes on their tips. She felt his warm and strong arms around her waist. She stared into his blue dilated eyes in adoration.

"With all these, Jer. I still love you," she whispered and she glanced at his lips. She watched as he leaned towards her head.

"Stop. I won't watch this again, nope," Nora said and Ciara's eyes widened.

"Again?" Jerome repeated with a confused expression.

"Uh. I mean, I keep seeing you guys wanting to eat your stupid faces out. So no, I'm not seeing it again. So, bye," Nora said and walked out of the room before she did she had stopped just behind Jerome and made a cut-throat sign then pointed towards the closet.

"So, why don't we have some fun, eh?" He whispered, kissing her neck.

Ciara giggled. "That won't just cone quickly. Why don't we go to the attic and play some video games? If you win, you get to do whatever you want to me and if I win, you'll sleep in the other room."

Jerome released her and dragged her with him as he made his way to the attic. Ciara let out an air of relief.

"Thank God," she muttered.

"What?" Jerome asked.

"Nothing," she smiled.

•••

Mason walked angrily back to his house. He didn't know why he didn't like the fact that he saw Ciara in his arms. Why he felt a heated feeling in his heart at the fact that they were about to make love was a mystery to him. It killed him inside. It made him almost jump out of that closet to drag Ciara out of his grasp.

Calm down. What's wrong with you? You just met her? She's about to get married. You have Fiona and you shouldn't be acting all jealous. He paused at the train of his thought.

"Jealousy?" He muttered. "Why would I be jealous? I just met her. I don't know what she likes and dislikes. I know nothing about Ciara and I'm here, feeling so jealous. Jealous of what?!" He hissed and sat down on the steps at the front of the door to his house.

"I need to either stay away from-No, I can't do that to her. I can't do that to me," he said and pulled out his phone.

Mason stared at Ciara's number that Nora had dialed with his phone earlier, he suspected she did it intentionally. He immediately stored it into his contact list and swiped over to the message icon. He was about touching the icon when he paused.

"What am I texting her for?" He asked himself. "f**k it."

•••

Ciara raised her head from Jerome's bare chest when her phone signaled an incoming text. She stared at the sleeping Jerome, before she crawled out of the blanket. She bent down and picked up her discarded shirt, put it on and walked into the bathroom. Ciara picked up her phone and saw it was a text from an unknown number, but tapped it open.

Unknown Number: Hey, it's Mason. Nora used my phone earlier, to call you. Just wanted to let you know that this is my number. Hope you're okay and that you aren't thinking much about what happened. I just want to see the smile I adore on you. Your friend, Mason.

She giggled and read the text all over again. She read it ten times until she heard Jerome call to her to come back. She smiled and saved his contact on her list.

Ciara: Thanks for checking up on me. And I'm okay, American boy. I hope you didn't feel too weird about what you saw from my closet. Cause I know you did. Well, don't think to much about IT. What you should be worried about is me kicking your arse this weekend at the camp. Bye :)

She muted her phone for safety against Jerome before locking the screen and walking out with a smile.

•••